4 Two-Hit Wonders That Earned Both in the Same Year

When you think about the total number of people making music in a given year and the sheer number of songs even one person can produce over 12 months, it seems almost impossible that any of them will find a giant audience and rise up the ranks of the Billboard charts. Yet, some do. Even more unlikely is that an artist will earn two hits in one year. Yet some do.

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Here below, we wanted to explore four such examples. A quartet of artists who garnered two top hit songs in the same calendar year. Indeed, these are four two-hit wonder bands that earned both their hits before the year changed.

[RELATED: 3 Two-Hit Wonder, Foreign-Born Bands that Ruled the 1970s]

KT Tunstall: “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” and “Suddenly I See” from Eye to the Telescope (2004)

While her breakout album Eye to the Telescope was released in 2004, it was in 2006 when artist KT Tunstall earned her two biggest hits. The single “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” hit No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2006 and her song “Suddenly I See” No. 21. Tunstall, who was a regular on late-night shows and music festivals thanks to these tracks, had much more than 15 minutes of fame thanks to her songwriting prowess.

Sisqo: “Thong Song” and “Incomplete” from Unleash the Dragon (2000)

For those of us who grew up in the 1990s, hearing Sisqo’s “Thong Song” at the turn of the new millennium was a gas. Who amongst us didn’t sing along with the energetic R&B artist, proclaiming the benefits of that little piece of cloth? From high school dances to clubs in the wee hours of the morning, people enjoyed hearing about underwear (the song hit No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100). And the former singer of Dru Hill parlayed that into another solo hit, “Incomplete,” which hit No. 1 that same year in 2000.

A-ha: “Take On Me” and “The Sun Always Shines on TV” from Hunting High and Low (1985)

One of the big songs of the 1980s was “Take On Me” by A-ha. It hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The success of that song from the A-ha’s 1985 LP Hunting High and Low turned into the success of another track, “The Sun Always Shines on TV,” from the same year. That song hit No. 20. There is something so of the era when it comes to A-ha’s songs. Is it because the decade influenced them or they influenced the decade so much? It’s one of those musical questions we may never have an answer for.

Quiet Riot: “Bang Your Head (Metal Health)” and “Cum on Feel the Noize” from Metal Health (1983)

So often one- or two-hit wonders are silly and quirky. But Quiet Riot was a loud metal band, which brought a new flavor to the music. They were unabashed and didn’t hold back when it came to volume and sonic power. That’s especially true when it came to their 1983 LP Metal Health, which featured bangers like “Bang Your Head (Metal Health)” (No. 31) and “Cum on Feel the Noize” (No. 5). Prepare to have your hair blown back by this group!

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